accelerator

[ak-sel-uh-rey-ter]

noun

1. a person or thing that accelerates.

2. Automotive.,  a device, usually operated by the foot, for controlling the speed of an engine.

3. British.,  any two- or three-wheeled motor vehicle, as a motorcycle or motor scooter.

4. Photography.,  a chemical, usually an alkali, added to a developer to increase the rate of development.

5. Also called accelerant. Chemistry.,  any substance that increases the speed of a chemical change, as one that increases the rate of vulcanization of rubber or that hastens the setting of concrete, mortar, plaster, or the like.

6. Anatomy, Physiology.,  any muscle, nerve, or activating substance that quickens a movement.

7. Also called particle accelerator. Also called atom smasher. Physics.,  an electrostatic or electromagnetic device, as a cyclotron, that produces high-energy particles and focuses them on a target.

8. Economics.,  acceleration coefficient.

9. Business.,  an enterprise that provides investment funding and short, fixed-duration mentoring and education programs to a select group of startups that apply for this, including access to networking, strategy coaching, collaborative workspace, etc.

accelerator

/ ækˈsɛləˌreɪtə /

noun

1. a device for increasing speed, esp a pedal for controlling the fuel intake in a motor vehicle; throttle

2. Also called (not in technical usage): atom smasher. physics a machine for increasing the kinetic energy of subatomic particles or atomic nuclei and focusing them on a target

3. chem a substance that increases the speed of a chemical reaction, esp one that increases the rate of vulcanization of rubber, the rate of development in photography, the rate of setting of synthetic resins, or the rate of setting of concrete; catalyst

4. economics (in an economy) the relationship between the rate of change in output or sales and the consequent change in the level of investment

5. anatomy a muscle or nerve that increases the rate of a function

Word History and Origins

Origin of accelerator¹

First recorded in 1605–15 and in 1930–35 accelerator for def. 7; accelerate + -or ²

Example Sentences

Sources that produce cosmic rays are powerful enough to propel protons or electrons to energies far beyond what the most advanced human-made particle accelerators can reach.

Read more on Science Daily

The team used a specialist retrieval system to access the airbag control module – where a snapshot of electronic data, triggered by the crash, revealed speeds, accelerator position, steering wheel angle and brake pedal application.

Read more on BBC

“As a reminder, Nvidia is unlike any other accelerator. We excel at every phase of AI.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

In this work, researchers achieved a first: they created scalable quantum circuits capable of preparing the starting state of a particle collision similar to those produced in particle accelerators.

Read more on Science Daily

Use gentle pressure on the accelerator until the vehicle gets going.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• particle accelerator